Nexus 5 leaked on Google Play: $349 for 16GB

Cutting-edge hardware, for a lot less than you'd expect.

The leaks leading up to the Nexus 5's launch have been... sizable. First reported by Engadget, the latest leak comes from Google itself, as the Google Play site briefly listed the Nexus 5 among its roster of devices for sale. The biggest takeaway from the leak is the price: 16GB for $349. Prior leaks have given us a pretty good idea of the visuals, while a leak of the unit's service manual gave us nearly all its internal details. Based on the LG G2, the Nexus 5 sports a 4.95" 1080p display, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 SoC, LTE, an 8MP rear camera, and a maximum storage capacity of 32GB. The phone will launch alongside Android 4.4, which is expected to bring tweaks to the launcher and some big changes to the messaging services.

Google launched last year's Nexus 4 at $299 for an 8GB model and $349 for a 16GB model, matching the expected pricing for the Nexus 5. This approach is similar to their efforts to bring the sale price for tablets down, starting with last year's $199 Nexus 7. The approach also allows buyers to get access to high-end hardware without having to sign two-year contract's with a carrier while avoiding the $600 price that most unsubsidized high-end phones cost. Google's efforts have yielded some results, with many carriers building out plans for buyers to pay the full price for a phone in installments, rather than through subsidies buried in their monthly fee.

There's no telling when Google will officially unveil the Nexus 5, but the holidays are nearly here, so it can't be too much longer.

Promoted Comments

Wow, top notch hardware on an unlocked device for less than $400 and everyone seems to be complaining that the screen got bigger (even though the device itself is slightly smaller than the last generation).

if you want a 4.0" 640p display, go get a crappy iPhone which doesn't even have an HD display.

Unnecessary capitals aside, your points were good until you got to the last line, there you destroyed the rest of your points. The iPhone display is excellent, very sharp and with good contrast, and that's the main point of a display.

This "mistake" was a PR leak to shut up the people claiming there will be a re-release of last year's Nexus 4 to take the "low end" pricing and that this year's Nexus 5 would be priced up to $500. This brief "accidental" Google Play posting was Google's way of saying STFU on both ridiculous rumors.

This "mistake" was a PR leak to shut up the people claiming there will be a re-release of last year's Nexus 4 to take the "low end" pricing and that this year's Nexus 5 would be priced up to $500. This brief "accidental" Google Play posting was Google's way of saying STFU on both ridiculous rumors.

This is exactly what I thought when I saw this. I think I'm going to pick one up, sounds like a good deal. The snapdragon 800 is a ridiculously powerful chip for a phone.

Wow, top notch hardware on an unlocked device for less than $400 and everyone seems to be complaining that the screen got bigger (even though the device itself is slightly smaller than the last generation).

I'd love to see a Nexus with a lower sized screen, but still have top notch hardware. What next? Will the "size creep" lead to 6", 6.5", even 7" phones next year?

Rumor is Nexus 4 will always be around and upgraded annually or so, just like N7. A new N4 may be announced around same time.

That rumor is pretty unlikely, seeing as the Nexus 4 was 4.7" and the nexus 5 is 5.0" there really is no point in having both.

EXACTLY. Nexus 5 is faster, has much better specs and is SMALLER than last year's Nexus 4. Google looks forward not backwards. The Nexus 4 rumors were ridiculous, made up by people who were either stupid or thought we were.

That is a pretty nice price. As soon as my wife's phone is off Verizon contract, I suspect we'll be acquiring a pair of these and heading over to T-Mobile.

Check out AT&T's GoPhone division. They are now BYOD, with access to uncapped AT&T LTE. 2GB uncapped LTE data with unlimited calls/texts for $60 per month. If you need more, they sell 1GB LTE date @ $10. This phone would work quite well on the new GoPhone plan.

That is a pretty nice price. As soon as my wife's phone is off Verizon contract, I suspect we'll be acquiring a pair of these and heading over to T-Mobile.

Check out AT&T's GoPhone division. They are now BYOD, with access to uncapped AT&T LTE. 2GB uncapped LTE data with unlimited calls/texts for $60 per month. If you need more, they sell 1GB LTE date @ $10. This phone would work quite well on the new GoPhone plan.

I wonder if it will work on Verizon? I was planning on swapping to the $30/month 5GB 100minute plan with t-mobile but if I could keep my unlimited plan with Verizon that would be something worth considering.

if you want a 4.0" 640p display, go get a crappy iPhone which doesn't even have an HD display.

Unnecessary capitals aside, your points were good until you got to the last line, there you destroyed the rest of your points. The iPhone display is excellent, very sharp and with good contrast, and that's the main point of a display.

if you want a 4.0" 640p display, go get a crappy iPhone which doesn't even have an HD display.

Unnecessary capitals aside, your points were good until you got to the last line, there you destroyed the rest of your points. The iPhone display is excellent, very sharp and with good contrast, and that's the main point of a display.

My point is no iPhone ever sold has had HD resolution. FACT. You need 720p to be HD, while 1080p is full HD. We are not talking "pixel density", so do not confuse the two. iPhone is only 640p and is not HD. Since 2011, top tier Androids have been 720p (like my 2011 Galaxy Nexus) and in 2013 all top tier Andoids are full HD 1080p.

Just one area where Apple iPhones are the laggard.

Plus, the Nexus 5 will have denser pixel density than any iPhone ever made, besides having full HD 1080p,

We all know it is coming. Why don’t they have a landing page with “sign up for news wen we announce it so you can pre-order early” page? That is what we are all looking for. They do not need to reveal any specs or other marketing secrets just yet. But just give users the assurance that they will be kept in the loop.

Wow, top notch hardware on an unlocked device for less than $400 and everyone seems to be complaining that the screen got bigger (even though the device itself is slightly smaller than the last generation).

I think people were assuming that bigger screen = bigger device (especially since non-owners might not be aware that the Nexus 4 has a 4.7" screen not 4")

Do you realise that "HD resolution" is an arbitrary marketing term, created to define 720p and 1080p TV screens, which has not necessarily anything to do withe the quality of a display?Having said that, is objectively true that many Android phone now have higher resolution and higher pixel density than the iPhone. It is questionable, however, that that brings any real benefit in normal use. Although, having angry fans raving on the internet because they are excited by marketing terms may be a plus in itself for publicity.

if you want a 4.0" 640p display, go get a crappy iPhone which doesn't even have an HD display.

Unnecessary capitals aside, your points were good until you got to the last line, there you destroyed the rest of your points. The iPhone display is excellent, very sharp and with good contrast, and that's the main point of a display.

My point is no iPhone ever sold has had HD resolution. FACT. You need 720p to be HD, while 1080p is full HD. We are not talking "pixel density", so do not confuse the two. iPhone is only 640p and is not HD. Since 2011, top tier Androids have been 720p (like my 2011 Galaxy Nexus) and in 2013 all top tier Andoids are full HD 1080p.

Just one area where Apple iPhones are the laggard.

Plus, the Nexus 5 will have denser pixel density than any iPhone ever made, besides having full HD 1080p,

HD and 'Full HD' are just marketing terms that you're buying into, much like the 'retina' display. Worry more about pixel density and resolution, imo.

I wonder if it will work on Verizon? I was planning on swapping to the $30/month 5GB 100minute plan with t-mobile but if I could keep my unlimited plan with Verizon that would be something worth considering.

I'd love to see a Nexus with a lower sized screen, but still have top notch hardware. What next? Will the "size creep" lead to 6", 6.5", even 7" phones next year?

Exactly! I was messing around with my wife's OG Droid Incredible last night, and forgot how convenient that small form factor was. I would bet that modern guts and a nice screen in a phone that size could be a huge seller.

if you want a 4.0" 640p display, go get a crappy iPhone which doesn't even have an HD display.

Unnecessary capitals aside, your points were good until you got to the last line, there you destroyed the rest of your points. The iPhone display is excellent, very sharp and with good contrast, and that's the main point of a display.

My point is no iPhone ever sold has had HD resolution. FACT. You need 720p to be HD, while 1080p is full HD. We are not talking "pixel density", so do not confuse the two. iPhone is only 640p and is not HD. Since 2011, top tier Androids have been 720p (like my 2011 Galaxy Nexus) and in 2013 all top tier Andoids are full HD 1080p.

Just one area where Apple iPhones are the laggard.

Plus, the Nexus 5 will have denser pixel density than any iPhone ever made, besides having full HD 1080p,

HD and 'Full HD' are just marketing terms that you're buying into, much like the 'retina' display. Worry more about pixel density and resolution, imo.

you are quite wrong there. I work in TV. We are talking resolution. What do you think HD stands for? HD is not "marketing" terms. HD (high definition) resolution starts at 720p, and full HD is 1080p for ALL video. It's a technical spec, not marketing.

if you want a 4.0" 640p display, go get a crappy iPhone which doesn't even have an HD display.

I see that you are a new poster. Welcome. That said, you'll find that if you want your posts to stay up and get read writing every third word in caps won't help your cause, nor will your lack of understanding of nuance. Yes, it is a plus that LG has managed to expand the screen without growing the device, but the person you are responding to was clearly referring to the lack of a small, light Android phone that is competitive in speed and specs with other modern phones. Some people prefer smaller devices and would very much like to see Android devices in the 3-4" range that aren't entry level crap.

As for your last paragraph, there are plenty of legitimate critiques of the iPhone, including screen size, but the fact that Apple didn't put a couple extra invisibly tiny rows of pixels into a device that is 2.3" wide just so they could market it as "HD" to foolish spec-sheet based buyers isn't one of them.